Board votes in increase MARTA fare

ATLANTA – The cost of riding MARTA will increase from $2 to $2.50, the transit system’s board decided Wednesday.

The board made the change as part of a vote to approve a $413.76 million capital budget.

“This has been a very difficult decision for the Board because, as a service based industry, we do not want to make changes that have a negative impact on our customers,” MARTA Board Chairman Jim Durrett said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the economic downturn has taken its toll on MARTA’s finances, and with the cost of doing business continuing to go up, a fare increase is required in order to maintain current bus and rail service levels for our customers.”

The board took its vote after hearing comments from more than 260 residents, officials said. In addition to the fare increase, officials say they have cut more than $100 from the budget over the past three years.

“We commit to our customers that our available resources will be focused on providing top quality transit service that is safe and customer-focused,” Durrett said. “As we move forward, we ask our customers to work with us to secure a new dedicated and reliable source of funding so that we can improve and expand transit service in this region.”